


A Flowery Celebration

by AerithFaremis



Category: Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: Celebrations, ClerithWeek2020, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-31
Updated: 2020-08-31
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:35:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,765
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26210500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AerithFaremis/pseuds/AerithFaremis
Summary: Sector 5 hosts the most special festival for Aerith and Cloud.[Clerith Week 2020 - Day 1 - Prompt: Celebrations]
Relationships: Aerith Gainsborough/Cloud Strife
Comments: 4
Kudos: 31





	A Flowery Celebration

**CLERITH WEEK DAY 1 (08/31)**

**_Prompt:_ ** **Celebrations**

**-A Flowery Celebration-**

For several years now, Flower Day has been celebrated in Sector 5. It was a beautiful day in which all the neighbors of the sector decorated the balconies of their homes and the corners of the streets with their favorite flowers, such as roses, lilies, orchids…they also gave each other a flower with a special meaning among couples, friends or family. There were even candy and food stands, and by the afternoon, the music started playing for the people to dance.

It was a special idea that the Leaf House had come up with some time ago with the help of the Community Center and, of course, the most beloved florist in the city, Aerith. They had managed to commemorate it every year, receiving the congratulations and admiration of the other neighbors.

The date of the celebration was approaching, but, for Aerith, this was the most special year of all. She was in her flower shop, preparing bouquets and floral decorations for the neighbors and also advising them on which flower to choose based on its meaning to give to a loved one. She had also already chosen her special flower to give to the love of her life and to give him the message she was secretly hiding. It was a white orchid that…

She heard the bells on the shop door and looked up. It was Cloud, the person she loved so much, so she quickly hid the white orchid to prevent him from discovering her secret too soon.

“Good morning, baby” he greeted her, leaning in a little to give her a kiss on the lips. She smiled at him.

“Good morning, Mr. Bodyguard” Aerith noticed that he was using the gloves he used to wear when he was riding the bike, so, curiously, she asked him “do you have any jobs today?”

“Barret needs…help, in Sector 7” Cloud said, putting his hands behind his back and looking away in a gesture that didn’t go unnoticed by the florist. She knew the man in front of her very well and knew when he was trying to hide something or avoid a particular subject.

“Does he? I thought Biggs was giving him a hand with the new bar”, said Aerith, although with sympathy, as she knew very well that he would never lie to her with bad intentions.

“Yeah, uh…but it’s something only I can help with, you know? Besides, I want to see Barret, I haven’t hung out with him in a while”, he said, this time, with total sincerity and looking her in the eye.

The girl smiled tenderly: after all the adventures they had had together, the bond that Cloud and Barret had established was very beautiful and pure. They understood each other very well, as if they were brothers, and they all loved to see that they got along so well.

“Great! I’ll miss you” said Aerith, giving him a little kiss on his lips.

“I’ll try to get back early and help you with the bouquets” he offered, looking at the piles of flowers that were piling up on the table. Every year, he helped his girlfriend with the chores so that she didn’t have to work so many hours without a break, but that year he had something in mind that needed his attention…

“Don’t worry about me. Enjoy your time with Barret! He must be missing you, come on, go” she said, putting her hands on his shoulders and walking him to the door.

*

A while later, Cloud was parking his bike in front of the new Seventh Heaven, the bar that Barret and Tifa had set up together with the help of Biggs and Wedge. The rebuilding had been a success and they were getting a lot of costumers every day. He opened the door and found just the person he was looking for, sitting at the counter enjoying some delicious noodles.

“Hey, Barret” greeted Cloud, with a slight smile.

“Hey, Merc Boy” said Barret, taking off his dark glasses and winking at him “I’ve been waiting for you. I thought you weren’t coming.”

“Sorry, I had to take care of a few things first. Did…did you bring it?” he asked, nervously.

Barret burst out laughing and flooded the bar with joy, and after reaching into his pockets, he took out a small blue box and put it on the table.

“Here it is. Made from the finest jade in Corel” announced Barret, parsimoniously. Cloud opened the little box with slightly trembling fingers and discovered a beautiful silver ring with a small green sphere in the center, shaped like a heart.

“It’s…beautiful, Barret. I really appreciate it”, said Cloud, with sincere gratitude.

“It’s all right. With all you’ve done for me in the past, it’s the least I could do. So, have you thought of how to ask her yet?”

Cloud was silent for a few moments, pursing his lips. The truth was…he was terrified just thinking about it. He wanted, he _desired_ to marry Aerith more than anything else in the world, after all the adventures and dreams they had fulfilled together. It was ironic, because she was a person who knew all his secrets and intimacies and now he wasn’t able to pronounce in front of her the word “marriage” without his voice trembling.

“Actually…no. It’s…it’s complicated. I want it to be special, but…”

“Hm…” Barret thought for a few moments before continuing, as a special light illuminated his gaze “you know, when I proposed to my wife, I did it by reminding her the moment in which we met. It was…so special. You had to see her smile when she saw that I remembered such a small detail like that. You know, sometimes we want to do amazing things for the people we love and we forget about the small details, which are the most exciting”.

Cloud nodded in agreement. He had ended up admiring Barret and his advice, which was always full of experience and insight. He thought about his words…the moment they met…something special…

“I got it!” said the bodyguard, standing up and saying “Barret, you’re great!”

“Hm? What’s come over you?” asked Barret, taking another bite of his noodles.

“I already know how to propose to Aerith. I just…I just need to find one more thing”.

*

After many weeks of intense work and preparations, Flower Day arrived. It was a beautiful morning, with a bright and warm sun that gave a festive aspect to Sector 5.

“Honey, are you ready?” asked Cloud, from the ground floor of Aerith’s house, where they had lived together since they had saved the world.

“Coming!” she said, walking down the stairs.

It didn’t matter that he saw her every day, Cloud would always be surprised by her beauty. That morning she had let her hair down and her curls were falling down her back, and she was wearing a nice outfit of white trousers and a green blouse that made her eyes stand out even more. Her boyfriend dropped his jaw as he watched how beautiful she looked.

“Heya, ready?” asked Aerith, “You look great!” she complimented him, as she looked at his outfit: a light blue sleeveless sweater and jeans that fit him nicely.

“And you look beautiful. Zack, Tifa and the others must be waiting for us by now”.

“Here we go!”

They arrived at the center of Sector 5 while Aerith showed Cloud all the floral decorations and complimented the neighbors, who were very grateful. A while later, they found Zack and Tifa, holding hands and waiting for them.

"They're a beautiful couple, aren't they?" asked Aerith in a whisper.

"Yes, they look very good together and Zack has really settled down," said Cloud, happy that his friends had found love in each other and were happy.

"Aerith, Cloud!" greeted Tifa, with joy "Here, these are for you. Our Flower Day gift!" said the ruby-eyed one, giving each of them a blue iris.

"It means...uh...wait, what did they mean?" asked Zack, winking. He had completely forgotten, and Tifa had repeated it to him many times.

"They symbolize friendship!" said Tifa, mumbling.

"That's right, our beautiful friendship!" added Zack and everyone laughed. Aerith also gave some white daisies to her friends.

"For our friendship and loyalty," explained the florist.

"They are beautiful, Aerith," thanked Tifa. "Barret and the others are waiting for us at the ice cream stand, shall we go?"

The couples walked together to the ice cream stand, but, on the way, Aerith noticed that Cloud was quieter than usual. He didn't even talk to Zack, and when the two of them got together there was no one to shut them up from gossiping to each other.

"Are you having a good time, Cloud?" she asked, with a smile.

"Uh? Ah, yes, a lot, really." He replied, which he was abruptly removed from his thoughts "Just... I want us to go somewhere later, okay?"

"I think that's a good idea!" said Aerith, who also wanted to be alone with him to give him her Flower Day present.

They gathered with the others at the snack stand and Aerith was very happy to see that all her friends had been able to come: Vincent, Yuffie, Nanaki, Reeve, Barret, Biggs, Wedge, Cid and Jessie were all there with flowers and gifts for everyone. They gave each other lots of hugs and quickly caught up on everything they had been doing during their free time, while eating some delicious snacks.

Yuffie, Jessie and Tifa mysteriously took Aerith aside, away from the group of boys who had been chatting animatedly and looked at her as if they were seeing an apparition.

"Girls, is something wrong?" asked the florist, looking at them.

"Have you told him yet?" said Jessie, winking at her.

"Told him what?"

"Come on, Ae, don't play dumb," said Yuffie, with a knowing smile as she raised her eyebrows.

"You know..." added Tifa "that thing that starts with a b and ends in..."

"Oh" Aerith interrupted her, with a slight giggle "No, I haven't yet. I want it to be something special and different when I tell him about it."

"God, I don't know how you've been able to hold out so long!" said Jessie, surprised "I can't even hide the news I read in the paper."

"It's getting hard not to tell him yet, really. Where you see it..." said Aerith, looking at her boyfriend in the distance with tenderness " he's dying to have one".

"Ugh, I don't know if I can imagine Cloud being a father and singing lullabies to a baby," joked Yuffie, feigning a chill.

The girls laughed at her joke and Aerith added:

"Cloud is sweet and kind. That's what I want for the father of my baby, I don't need any more."

Then the noise of the fireworks was heard and everyone looked up to the sky, surprised by the beautiful fireworks that announced the beginning of the music and dances of the fair. Everyone began to dance in pairs or in groups of friends, enjoying the music and the good atmosphere, relishing that time together as they did in the past.

While everyone was dancing, Cloud approached Aerith and whispered in her ear:

"Come, I want to take you somewhere."

The two of them got lost in the crowd, holding hands. Aerith noticed that they were moving away from Sector 5, but she didn't give it much thought. She would always follow Cloud and Cloud would follow her, no matter where, they both trusted each other.

"It's a place I recently discovered" explained Cloud, as they walked.

"And I don't know it?" she asked, in a playful tone.

"Surprisingly, no," he joked.

After a while, they came to a sort of hole in one of the walls near the Sector, and before entering, Cloud turned and said to her:

"This is it. Take my hand and close your eyes."

Aerith did what he asked and Cloud guided her through the aperture. Once she had crossed it, he asked her to open her eyes and she found in front of her some big trees surrounding a small river. On the ground, over the grass, there were lots of red carnations and white daisies that the florist looked at in awe.

"It's beautiful! How did I not know about this before? And how did all these flowers get here?" asked Aerith, curiously, looking at everything like a little girl.

"I discovered it by chance. Come, let's sit by the river, I want to give you my present."

Holding hands, they approached the riverbank and wet their feet, sitting down. The place was beautiful and pleasant, and in the background, one could hear the music of the festival and the murmur of the people.

"I have a present for you too, you know," said Aerith, happily. "But... I want you to give me yours first."

"It's okay," sighed Cloud, "I'm a little... nervous right now," he confessed. The florist smiled tenderly and took one of his hands in hers.

"Don't worry, Cloud. You're with me, there’s nothing we haven’t lived through together already. This will be just another experience!" she encouraged him.

He nodded and turned to her, staring at her.

"Do you remember... the night we met?" he asked.

"As if it were yesterday," she replied, her cheeks blushing.

"You gave me a yellow lily... and you said, 'lovers used to give these when they were reunited' and we have been united ever since. But... but I want to take one more step in this union."

Aerith frowned slightly, trying to understand what Cloud meant, but she had no time to think any further when suddenly he took a delicate and beautiful red poppy out of his hands and placed it in front of her. The florist felt a lump of emotion in her throat as her heart pounded. She knew very well what it meant for one person to give that flower to another. It symbolized the emotional and spiritual bond between two people who loved each other, for life.

"It means union, emotional and spiritual. It only happens between people who promise to love each other forever," explained Cloud. "Do you want to... marry...?"

But Aerith interrupted him, throwing herself into his arms and kissing him on the lips.

"I do," she replied, as they parted and the two laughed, kissing again.

Cloud showed her the engagement ring and placed it gently on her finger.

"It's beautiful, Cloud. I love you."

"I love you," he replied.

"Well... I have a special gift too," confessed Aerith, this time feeling even more nervous if she could.

The florist was a sea of emotions right now, but she didn't know if she could hold out any longer keeping the secret.

"Really?" asked Cloud, curiously.

Aerith took out a white orchid and placed it in the palm of his hand.

"It's my gift for Flower Day," she said, gently. He looked at the beautiful orchid in the palm of his hand, with curiosity. Aerith had explained to him the meaning of many flowers, but she had never told him about this one in particular, so he was very interested in knowing what it symbolized. He looked at her, curious, and encouraged her to explain.

"The parents-to-be plant many white orchids to bring the baby luck in the future. " she explained.

Cloud looked at her quickly, dropping his jaw for the second time that day, as he felt his hands shaking. His heart skipped a beat, as he watched his girlfriend caress her belly fondly.

"Re... really?" Cloud mused.

Aerith nodded and he jumped to his feet. He lifted Aerith in his arms and spun around on his feet, madly happy as she laughed. The two of them were so happy at that moment, with a marriage and a baby on the way.

Cloud put her down again and cradled her cheeks between his hands, laying his forehead against hers.

"There's nothing that makes me happier than having you in my life, Aerith. I love you and I'm going to take care of you and our baby."

"Of that I had no doubt, Mr. Bodyguard," she joked, with a chuckle. "You make me very happy too. Thanks for everything, Cloud."

The two melted into a sweet kiss of happiness, while in the background, the fireworks celebrating Flower Day continued to blend with the sky.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you very much for reading!


End file.
